


Golden Bonds

by breadrobin



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fantasy, M/M, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, hey welcome to my original fantasy story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26590699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breadrobin/pseuds/breadrobin
Summary: A dangerous force has spread across the lands, touching the lives of six people. They find themselves connected as they try to fix their lives and take back their homes.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey y'all, welcome to this story i've had in my mind for years. I've finally got the final draft to the part where i want it, so I wanted to share it here. idk if anyone will read this, but let me know if you enjoyed it! thanks for reading

Juxa felt herself start to drift into consciousness, her senses returning to her one by one. She felt the warm sand that surrounded her in a soft cradle. She heard the shrieking of birds above, and the gentle lapping of water nearby. The scent of salt drifted into her nose and settled itself onto her tongue. 

Her entire body was aching, and her head felt heavy and full. She willed herself to move.

As her finger finally twitched, she opened her eyes. All she saw for a moment was blue, a blinding bright blue. Her bleary vision cleared after a few blinks, and she found herself staring up at the clear sky. Some wispy, thin clouds blew past her field of vision, and the sun stared down on her. 

She groaned and went to push herself up. However, as she put pressure on her left arm, a hot spike of pain ripped through it. She cried out hoarsely and collapsed back into the sand. The pain had brought stinging salty tears to her eyes.

In and out, she breathed, trying to control the pain. After several moments, it subsided into a dull throbbing sensation. She sat up again, this time careful to use her right arm. Merely sitting up was such a struggle that her entire body had broken into a sweat by the time she was upright. She panted, exhausted, but at least she was up. She looked around to take stock of her current situation. 

She was lying on a beach. To her right was the huge endless sea. Light blue waves gently lapped at the shore. To her left the beach tapered off into a heavily forested area. Evidence of her crash was everywhere. The tree that must have broken her fall had several branches broken off, scattered near its base. The bone-white sand had large drag marks, ending at Juxa’s current position. She barely remembered waking up for a moment, delirious with pain and stumbling forward, trying to get to something before she passed out again. That must have been long ago, because in her hazy recollection she realized that it had been night when she had crashed. Her mouth had the dryness of someone who had slept for many hours. 

She went to struggle to her feet but collapsed back onto her knees. She gasped as her entire body throbbed in protest of the movement. Her arm was definitely broken, and it hung limply at her side. Any attempt at movement only brought pain. Her ribs were tender, and she looked down. Her top garment was ripped, exposing her abdomen. She could see bruises, and she forced herself to probe them. She sucked in through her teeth at she stinging pain, but at least she felt no broken bones. It hurt to breath in, but there was no danger of her bones stabbing into her lungs. Other deep bruises covered her entire body, along with several scrapes that were still bleeding sluggishly. However, none of them were deep enough to warrant immediate concern. 

She was bruised, bleeding, and hurt. But she was alive, and that meant she had to keep moving. She had to find Red. She shuffled to towards the trees. As she got closer, she saw her bow on the ground, snapped in half. Next to that was her quiver, a large hole ripped into it. Her arrows were scattered all around the area, some broken, but some still intact.  
Her knees started to get weak, and her legs suddenly collapsed under her. The sand dug itself into her cuts, and the sting brought tears to her eyes again. She tried to breath slowly. Her body was clearly not ready to move. Instead, she shook her head and attempted to remember what happened. 

Imaged, hazy, drifted into her head. Riding on top of Red, flying desperately from their pursuers. The exhaustion setting in after nearly a week of flying constantly. Red slowing down, physically unable to go any further. His shriek of pain as their pursuers caught up to them. The sharp cracking of his wing breaking. Her own arrow sinking into the throat of their enemy, blood spurting out from his throat. Falling. 

Her lip curled in disgust. She had fallen off her dragon, the greatest shame of any experienced dragonrider. On top of that, she had lost him. Her mothers would be ashamed of her. 

She shook her head at that thought. They wouldn’t be ashamed; in fact, they were probably desperately worried about her that very moment. That is, she thought with a swallow, if they were still alive. 

She grit her jaw tightly and clenched her fist. She couldn’t think like that, she refused to. She had to focus on finding Red, on making sure he was okay.  
One problem at a time, she thought. She attempted to stand again, but her legs refused to cooperate with her. Once, twice, three times she tried to stand, but each time she ended up on the ground, the sand digging harshly into her knees. 

A shout left her throat, partly out of pain, partly out of frustration. Angry tears were flowing down her face now, and she scrubbed at them violently with her good hand. 

“Are you okay?”

The soft call from behind startled her, and she attempted to shoot up and turn around. She stumbled again but she was able to keep one knee up this time. Panting, she looked up towards the voice. 

There was someone in the water. A woman, Juxa would guess, with skin a few shades darker brown than Juxa’s own. Long, black hair was slicked back from her forehead, and it trailed off into the water. She had no eyebrows, and there were strange markings on her angular cheeks. They were a dark, reflective blue. They were reminiscent of dragon scales, Juxa thought. Were they tattoos?

“Are you okay?” the woman called again, startling Juxa out of her observations. Her voice was deep and smooth, like the waves of the ocean. 

“I am injured,” Juxa attempted to say. Her voice, however, was rough from disuse. Clearing her throat, she tried again.

“I am injured, and I am looking for my dragon. Have you seen him anywhere?”

The woman tilted her head curiously. Her eyes were strange. They had no colored part, nor any pupil in them. They were entirely dark gray. Juxa would have thought she was blind, but she was looking at Juxa so intently. She bobbed gently up and down in the water. 

“A dragon?” she eventually asked. “Like a seadragon?”

Juxa furrowed her brows. She had never heard of such a thing.

“No,” she explained, “a dragon. He is large and red, and he has a broken wing.”

The woman shook her head. 

“I have not,” she answered. “I’m sorry.”

Juxa sighed. She braced her right arm onto her right knee and forced herself to stand. She swayed a little once she was finally on her feet, but at least she was up now. The woman was still watching her intently. As Juxa shuffled towards the water, she curled in onto herself and drew back into the water. 

Juxa stopped. This woman was clearly nervous, if not afraid. Juxa attempted to smile weakly to try and calm her nerves. Not that she could have caught a baby snake in her condition, let alone hurt the other woman. 

“What is your name?” she called out. “I am Juxa, from the Red Sands.”

“I am Losena,” Losena simply said. She had stilled as soon as Juxa had stopped walking. She offered her own smile back. All of her teeth were pointed and serrated. Juxa gulped as her blood ran cold. 

“Losena,” she said, “could you tell me where I am? Is this your home?”

Losena tilted her head again. She gestured out towards the sea. Juxa saw that her nails were black and pointed, similar to claws. There was blue, translucent skin between her fingers. 

“This is my home,” Losena said. 

“This island?”

Losena shook her head.

“The sea?” Juxa asked, disbelief evident in her voice. 

Losena nodded proudly. 

“Where is your home?” she inquired politely. Juxa felt her head start to swim. Did Losena live on floating boats in the ocean? Juxa had heard of some people who lived like that, but she saw no one on the horizon of the sea. 

“Juxa?” Losena questioned. Juxa shook her head, attempting to clear it. 

“Sorry,” she replied. “My home is the Red Sands in the Great Desert.” 

“What is a desert?” Losena asked. 

“I’m sorry?”

“A desert. I’ve never heard of one.”

Confusion rattled through Juxa’s mind. How had this woman never heard of the Great Desert? Or any desert at all, for that matter?

“Well,” she started, “it is a great mass of sand that stretches over a land.”

“Really?” Losena asked, excitement showing in her face. She glided forward eagerly, exposing her previously submerged chest. She wore no clothes, but she needed not to. Her chest was flat, and those same blue markings started at her shoulders and covered the upper half of her torso. Her stomach was smooth and soft-looking, but she had no divot in it. Juxa’s head started to spin, and suddenly she was on the ground again. 

“Juxa!” Losena called out, concerned. However, Juxa noted, she still didn’t come closer to the shore. Juxa held up one hand as the dizziness left her head. 

“I’m alright,” she said. “Losena?”

“Yes?”

“Why won’t you come out of the water?”

Losena’s face was suddenly nervous again. 

“I have to go,” she said. 

“No, wait,” Juxa called out desperately, but it was too late. A quiet splash echoed through the air as Losena submerged suddenly. Juxa stared at the water, waiting for her to surface again. However, nothing happened. 

She looked out onto the ocean, studying it intensely. She watched for any sign of movement, but surface went undisturbed. She felt herself get dizzy again, and then her head was on the ground. 

The blue sky was still overhead, undisturbed. Her eyes started to drift shut. She heard the birds. She smelt and tasted the ocean. She felt the sand. Then, she saw nothing, as her eyes slid shut once more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> onto chapter two!

Maner’s eyes snapped open, interrupting their quiet meditation, as a strangled noise echoed across the meadow. The immediately looked up, their hands already coming up to defend or attack, whichever was needed.

However, instead of an adversary, they were greeting with the sight of their young pupil lying on his back, his arm thrown over his face. Maner smiled softly and quietly got up. However, elven hearing was sharp, and Tilmun was suddenly sitting straight up. 

“Master,” he said, his tanned face turning red. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. Apologies, please go back to your meditation.”

Maner merely shook their head as they walked over to Tilmun. He scrambled to his feet awkwardly and kept his eyes trained on the ground. Maner couldn’t help but smile at him.   
“What happened?” they asked. Tilmun blew out a frustrated sigh.

“I don’t know,” he replied, his voice small and frustrated. “I was meditating just like you said, and I felt the energy of what was around me, but I…”

Maner waited for him to finish, but Tilmun had seemed to run out of words. 

“What did you feel?” they prompted. “What was around you?”

Tilmun glanced at them, then dropped his gaze back to the ground. 

“I felt the grass,” he eventually responded. He looked at Maner timidly, drawing his shoulders in onto himself. Even though Tilmun was a head taller than Maner, he was always trying to find ways to make himself smaller.

“What did you do after you felt the energy?” they prompted. Tilmun fidgeted with his hands nervously. 

“Well, I tried to do what you said. I tried to reach out to it and connect, but nothing happened.” 

Maner pondered on that answer for a moment.

“What did the connection feel like?” they eventually asked. “Was it weak or strong?”

Tilmun looked startled at that question, but he answered immediately. 

“Weak, very weak. I could barely sense it at all. Is that always what it feels like when you use magic?”

Maner shook their head, suddenly sure what the problem was. 

“Every magic user has a different affinity. For me, I have an affinity for manipulating the plants. I have the strongest connection with them. However, it seems you have an affinity for something else.”

Tilmun looked panicked now. 

“But how are you supposed to teach me if I’m connected to something that you’re not connected to?” he complained, then snapped his mouth shut. His face turned red again, all the way to his pointed ears. He dropped his head. 

“Apologies, Master,” he said quickly. “I did not mean to sound rude. I am very grateful for your teachings.

Maner hesitated for a moment. Eventually, they brought their hand up and lightly patted Tilmun on his lithe shoulder. He twitched at the contact but didn’t flinch back. Instead, he looked up at Maner again. 

“It’s alright, Tilmun,” they said. “I know what you meant. Although my connection to the plants is the strongest, I can still train you with other mediums. My connection to them is simply weaker. Now, was there anything else you sensed that you felt a stronger connection to?”

Tilmun’s embarrassed blush had died down, and his face was back to its light tanned color. He thought for a moment, furrowing his brow, and scrunching his nose slightly. His face then lit up, and he looked eagerly at Maner.

“The embers!” he exclaimed. At Maner’s questioning glance, he elaborated, “From the fire pit. I could feel them heating and cooling. I wasn’t even trying to focus on them, but it was like I could feel them breathing.”

“Ah,” Maner said. They walked over to the fire pit, Tilmun following close on their heels. They sat down cross-legged, and Tilmun folded his own limbs until he was sitting on his knees next to them.

“Meditate like you were before, but this time focus all of your energy onto the coals,” they instructed. Tilmun nodded, then closed his eyes and started to breath deeply. Maner kept speaking, but they were careful to keep their voice soft.

“Just sense the energy at first. Get to know it as best as you can. When that is done, reach out to it. Fire is malleable, and you can shape it however you want. After you touch it with your own energy, try to connect with it. Coax it to be what you want it to be.”

Tilmun nodded and breathed in deeply once more. Maner watched him, until his chest was only just rising and falling. They raised themself to their feet, careful to move quietly. They went over to their tent and pulled out a bag of cooking supplies and ingredients. Tilmun had been working all morning, and even if he did not connect with the fire, Maner thought he deserved a break. 

Maner knew that some mages would claim they were being too soft on their student. It was traditional for the pupil to copy the master’s magic first, even if the student did not connect to it right away. Maner’s own master had used that approach, and it had been a frustrating time while Maner had tried to learn how to master the wind and form them into furious tornadoes like she had. 

However, Tilmun was their first student, and they would teach them however they saw fit. They saw no point adhering to tradition when said tradition only made it harder for their pupil to learn. 

Tilmun had a natural affinity for magic, but they had only just started teaching him a month ago, and he was so hesitant with his magic. 

They glanced over at him, observing his quiet meditation. There was still no change in the embers. 

Tilmun was a tall, young elf. He had long, inky, hair that was now pulled into a simple smooth ponytail. His dark, thin eyes were closed now, which caused his normally stressed face to relax. And the object that was the cause of most of that stress was perched gently atop his brow. 

A silver circlet with metal leaves wound about it. The symbol of the Crown Prince of the elven kingdom of Taul. Maner chuckled softly as they went back to gathering lunch ingredients. He certainly didn’t look like a Crown Prince now, with grass staining his delicate blue robes and several leaves and twigs stuck in his hair. 

They wondered at the sight the two of them made. Anyone passing by might think they were two traveling beggars instead of a skilled magic user and their student. 

“Master!” Tilmun suddenly cried out. Maner spun around, again reaching for their magic to defend Tilmun if necessary. However, there were again no attackers in sight.

Instead, there was just Tilmun, excitedly holding his hand up as a small fire crackled happily in the firepit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> third chapter onward! it's been a while since i've updated, but i had some school and work stuff going on... thanks for reading and being patient though!

The moon hung full in the night sky, beautiful and bright, no clouds to obscure it. It illuminated the entire land below, including a small clearing.

The light fell gently on a lone deer in the clearing. It was a buck nibbling on some shoots of grass that were beginning to poke up from the thin layer of snow on the ground.

Makmaad stalked forward, quiet. He was downwind, so the deer couldn’t smell him, but he could smell it. He could hear its heavy breath and its calm, placid heartbeat. Makmaad moved carefully. He stepped softly on the ground, careful to not crunch any snow or step on any branch. He had been stalking his prey for most of the night with the help of the full moon. The hunt thrummed in his blood, and his teeth ached with the urge to bite. However, he had to be patient. This hunt was not just for fun, and it was not just for him.

He huffed, a little too loud. 

The deer’s ears shot up. Makmaad immediately held his breath as it lifted its head and swiveled around. Wide, empty eyes stared directly into the brush Makmaad was crouched in. 

Makmaad tensed. The deer hesitated, just for a moment. 

Makmaad shot forward, bursting out of the brush just as the deer turned to run. Had he been a normal wolf, there probably would have been a chase. However, he had certain advantages. 

His large, powerful back legs propelled him forward, and he sunk his fangs into the deer’s throat. He bit down, hard, as the deer let out a braying noise and frantically tried to kick at him. One hoof caught him in the chest, hard. He snarled at the pain, but it didn’t shake his grip. 

The deer’s movements eventually slowed. Frantic kicking became weak twitches. Its loud, pained braying died down until it was a mere whisper. Then, it was quiet and still. Makmaad could hear when its heartbeat finally stopped. 

He opened his jaw, now sore, and let it drop. It hit the ground heavily, blood leaking sluggishly from the bite marks on its neck. Makmaad dropped his snout down and lapped at it with his tongue to stop the bleeding.

Once it stopped bleeding, he lifted his head once more, then threw it back with a long, loud howl. He waited a moment, his own howl echoing in the empty forest. 

Anxiety started to claw at his mind in that moment of silence, and he felt his muscles start to tense. 

Then, an answering howl, quiet and far away. He huffed in relief, then sunk his teeth into the deer’s throat and began dragging it away, in the direction of that howl.

The deer was lean and not very heavy. Winter was just ending here, and it hadn’t been eating well. However, it would do. It would be able to feed them for nearly a week.

Makmaad huffed as he slipped on a wet patch of melted snow. He righted himself, then continued his trek. 

The snow melting was a strange sight. He was used to constant snow always covering the ground and dusting every surface of his home. 

However, he had no home now. Not anymore. 

He growled, trying to clear his head of the melancholy thoughts. He had someone to take care of, and he couldn’t do that if he was drowning in sadness-soaked memories. 

The moon hung still in the sky as he traveled. He felt a comfort with Her presence, with her eye watching over him. 

Finally, he came to a small stone cave, the entrance hidden by several large bushes and trees. He stopped before it and dropped the deer. Two short barks burst from his throat and echoed through the night.

“It’s clear, Mak!” a deep, familiar voice called back. He heard the sounds of bare feet echoing on the cave ground, getting closer to the entrance. Then the plants began to rustle as they were moved from the mouth of the cave. 

Two familiar, calloused hands finally succeeded in pushing away all of the foliage. A sense of relief came over Makmaad as he finally saw the face of his younger sister. 

“Wow, good catch!” Sakaan said after she spotted the deer. “Here, I’ll drag it in.”

She grabbed the deer by its back, digging in her sharp claws as leverage. She grunted a little as she tugged at the deer, but she dragged it into the cave easily enough. Makmaad turned around, careful to look around the woods for anything out of place. It was only when he didn’t see, hear, or smell anything threatening, that he followed his sister. 

The cave they had been living in for the past week was deep enough to make Makmaad feel secure sleeping there. 

Sakaan had tended to the fire while he was gone, adding twigs and small branches from the small woodpile they had collected. It was a small fire, but it would keep them warm. Makmaad didn’t want to risk smoking them out of the cave. Besides, they had been used to sleeping in much colder places.

Sakaan had dragged the deer towards the fire and was now digging around in one of their small packs. She turned around and offered a small, wicked-sharp knife towards him. 

“Thank you for the catch, Mak, now would you please gut it?” she asked, a sheepish smile growing on her face. 

Makmaad huffed and nodded his large wolf head up and down. Sakaan never had the stomach for gutting their kills, plus she somehow always managed to nick herself with the knife. 

Sakaan smiled at him.

“I figured,” she said. Her grin grew into a wide teasing one, exposing her sharp canines. “You realize you’ll need fingers to grip the knife with, right?”

Makmaad gave a low, playful growl at that. Sakaan merely growled right back. He ignored her, and turned around, so that his back was towards her. Then, he focused. 

The sound of his transformation always registered with him before the pain did. His bones creaked as they shifted and moved. A low, pained groan involuntarily slipped out of his mouth as his jaw shortened. 

He felt his front legs rearranging themselves, and he pushed himself onto his back legs, now able to support all his weight.

The strangest sensation was always his tail shortening and disappearing. 

He groaned once more, but this time it was a human groan coming from a man’s mouth. He stumbled as his bones finally stopped moving and his skin was still. Sakaan was there to catch him as he stumbled, unused to the legs he was now standing on.

“Easy there, Mak,” she soothed. She guided him towards the fire and held him up until he regained his balance again. He patted her shoulder in thanks, then shook his reformed limbs. He moved his neck, cracking it and causing his long braids to fall from side to side. He cleared his throat, once, twice, getting used to the vocal cords that were used for more than barking or growling. 

“Was everything quiet around here?” he asked finally, his voice deep and raspy. 

“Yeah,” Sakaan said, “I didn’t leave, I stayed right here. Oh, I took a nap, and I had the strangest dream! Do you wanna hear about it?” 

Makmaad nodded once, then took the knife from her hand and headed over towards the deer. He soon settled into the familiar rhythm of skinning his prey, the sounds of his sister happily chattering and the fire crackling echoing throughout the cave. When he was done he stretched the deerskin next to the fire to let it dry out. Their own clothes were getting worn, and he didn’t know how far away the next village or town was. The deerskin, once dried, would be useful as a cloak. 

Once he finished skinning it, he sliced off several pieces of the deer’s muscle and fatty parts. 

“Sak,” he called. She stopped her talk and appeared next to his side in a moment. He held out the juiciest bits he had found, and she happily speared them onto some sharp wooden sticks.

“I skinned it, you get to cook it,” he said. 

“Alright, but you don’t get to complain if it’s too dry,” she teased. He rumbled a quiet laugh as his sister turned back to the fire. As she cooked, she continued to talk. She had finished talking about her dream, and now she was going on about the strange plants she could see now that they had come to a land where the snow melted. Makmaad let her voice wash over her as he pondered what he had to do the next day.

It was likely they were going to leave this place soon. They had already been in the cave for nearly a week, and lately he got more and more paranoid whenever they stayed in one place for too long. He had begun twitching at every noise outside, and it was driving Sakaan nuts. 

He glanced up at his sister, taking in her familiar sight. Dark brown skin with several scars and moles dotting her arms. Her long white hair pulled back into braids, similar to his. Bright red eyes, expressive and clear. Her nose was wide and strong, and her mouth was made for grinning and smiling. He swallowed a sudden wash of grief that came over him. 

She looked like their mother sometimes. 

He shook that thought from his head the moment it entered. It would do nothing except put him in a grief-filled mood for the rest of the night, and Sakaan didn’t need that. She seemed happy tonight, content. He didn’t want to spoil her good nature, so he bottled his painful thoughts.

He settled next to Sakaan, brushing against her shoulder. She held out a stick for him, with meat that was far too brown for his liking. 

“Is this done enough for you?” he asked, raising his eyebrow. “You sure you don’t want to cook it to ashes so it’s easier to swallow?”

“Shut up,” Sakaan responded. “Some of us don’t like our meat to still be bleeding when we eat it.”

“Some people just don’t have good taste,” he sighed. Sakaan snorted and shoved at his shoulder. He thought about shoving her back, but he already knew that it would end with an impromptu wrestling match. With the full moon still thrumming in his veins, he didn’t want to accidentally hurt Sakaan in his excitement. Instead, he merely began eating, and Sakaan followed his lead.

They finished eating soon enough, and Makmaad began twitching.The moon was still full in the sky and he longed to run swiftly throughout the night on four legs again. Longed to feel the thrill of the chase and the success of another hunt. He longed for the old full-moon traditions, and he missed the familiarity of his pack.

He was brought out of his musings as Sakaan nudged him. He looked over and saw her eyebrows knotted together in concern as she looked at him.

“Mak?” she asked softly. “Are you okay?” 

He knew that whatever he answered, it would be a lie. 

“Let’s go to bed,” was all he said. Sakaan looked like she wanted to speak again, but she merely nodded.

They didn’t bother to put more wood on the fire, letting it slowly begin to die down. The cave was well-insulated, and they had each other for warmth. They took out their bedrolls and spread them right next to each other. 

“Goodnight, Mak,” Sakaan said as she settled in. Her back was directly pressed against Makmaad’s, which was how they both preferred to sleep.

“Goodnight,” he responded. However, he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep anytime soon. The moon’s call was still singing in his veins and the wolf still hungered. However, he resisted those calls. His didn’t want to leave his sister alone more than he had to.

Sakaan tossed and turned next to him got a bit. Then, she finally became still. Her breathing grew deeper and deeper, and Makmaad thought she had fallen asleep. He stared at the wall of the cave, tracing every crevice and crack as he tried to settle his body and mind.

“Mak?” Sakaan said suddenly, breaking the silence and startling Makmaad.

“Yes?” he asked. She hesitated for a moment. 

“Where are we going next?” she eventually asked. 

Makmaaad inhaled sharply, then sighed. 

“I don’t know,” he eventually answered, his voice honest. 

Sakaan sighed. 

“What if..” she started, her voice small and scared. It caused Makmaad’s heart to ache.

“What if they find us?” 

“I won’t let that happen,” Makmaad replied sharply. Too sharply. Sakaan flinched away from his harsh tone. He felt guilt claw into his chest. He sat up and turned to his sister, rubbing her back in apology. Her tense muscles relaxed, but then she started shaking. 

“Mak,” she said tearfully. 

“Sak, it’s okay,” he soothed. He drew her into his lap and looked at her. Her red eyes were full of tears, and her face was pinched into an awful expression of grief. He smoothed her hair away from her face. That was what their uncle used to do when they were upset as children. 

“Mak,” Sakaan sobbed now, “I miss them.” 

Tears gathered in Makmaad’s own eyes now. He refused to let them fall as he gripped his sister tighter. He hunched over her as she cried out for their lost family. She clung to him desperately, so tight that her claws began to sink into his skin. He merely gripped her tighter as his own tears escaped his eyes. They fell, silent.

Outside, the full moon still hung.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here i am, like three months later with another chapter. thanks for reading!

While the sun hung in the sky, bright and warm, Losena rested in her home. She was in a deep, underwater cave, far from the warmth of the day sky. 

She had claimed the cave and the surrounding waters as her territory several months ago, when she had grown to maturity and left her father. Though she still felt a pang of loneliness when she thought of him, that feeling was far outweighed by the satisfaction she felt. Reveling in her freedom, she hunted, collected, and explored the world above to her heart’s content. 

Ever since she was newly hatched, Losena had been fascinated by the life above the sea. Though the deep blue of the sea always gave her comfort, she had found herself drawn to the everchanging blues, reds, oranges, pinks, and grays of the sky. However, once her father had found her visiting the surface, she had limited her visits to the surface, for his sake. He had a deep-seated fear of the surface, born from a time that Losena only heard of in stories. 

He had told her the story, had whispered of a battle on land so violent that blood had spread into the sea. Though the Mers had always had a peaceful relationship with those on land, something soon changed after that battle. Mers had been hunted, for reasons unknown to her father. It could have been for territory, sport, or food. Then again, it could have been for another reason entirely. Either way, for reasons known only to the two-legs, the Mers had nearly been wiped out. In a desperate attempt to save themselves, they had retreated into the depths of the sea. 

Her father had been raised like that, so deep in the ocean that his eyes became blinded by the light above the water. Though Losena had been raised to fear them, she had never actually seen a two-leg.

At least, Losena had never seen a two-leg until one had suddenly appeared right in front of her. 

There was an island above her territory that she liked to sun herself on. From her observations, no two-legs lived on the land, so she was free to bask in the sun’s warmth as long as she was able. She had surfaced the other day for that very reason. The immense shock that she had felt when she saw the figure on land had only been outweighed by her even greater curiosity. She had been inexplicably drawn to the two-leg, out of some kind of morbid curiosity. However, her father’s warnings had echoed in her head, and she had fled. 

That had been nearly two days ago, and she hadn’t dared to surface again. A two-leg had seen her. What kind of destruction would that strange creature bring upon Losena?

Though, Losena thought as she peered out of her cave, Juxa hadn’t looked like she was in any shape to cause any damage. In fact, it had seemed that she was injured. Not to mention she seemed like she was in no shape to harm Losena, with the way she had stumbled and tripped on her strange legs.

Losena slowly exited her cave and started to swim upwards, towards the surface.

She had heard stories of two-legs, but she hadn’t imagined that they would look so strange. Juxa had no scales to speak of, nor any kind of fangs or claws. She had been small and soft-looking, certainly not threatening. Her skin was a lighter brown than Losena’s, and it had a warm tint to it. It was also, from Losena remembered, crisscrossed with multiple scars. Her head had been bare and shiny, something Losena had found especially confusing. 

Juxa had spoken of so many strange things as well, things that continued to loop through Losena’s mind. What was this “Great Desert” that she had spoken of, and how was a dragon different from a seadragon? 

Her father had always joked that her curiosity would be her downfall. She just hoped that she wouldn’t prove him right. 

As she swam upwards, the color of the sea transitioned to a lighter blue, and she could see the sunlight filtering through the waves. She made the familiar rise towards the island. Once she was a close, but still safe, distance, she started to surface. 

Her head broke through the waves, just enough so that her eyes could peek over the water. She kept her tail tensed as she floated with the waves, ready to dive back into safety if needed.

The sight of the beach was familiar with its white sand tapering off into the forest further inland. What was not familiar was the sight of Juxa, laid face-up towards the sky, unnervingly still. 

An unreasonable panic grew in Losena. Was Juxa dead already? She swam closer towards the shore, keeping her neck submerged, until she was practically dragging herself across the sand in the shallows. When Juxa still remained unmoving, she pushed her upper body out of the water. 

Immediately, the gills on her neck seized, and she felt the familiar sharp, burning sensation that happened when air entered her gills. After a moment, they laid flat against her neck again, and she breathed in through her mouth, a distinctly uncomfortable feeling. She would only be able to breath like that for a short amount of time, so she had to use it to her advantage. 

She was hesitant to drag herself fully onto the beach, lest this was some kind of trap to lure her out of the water. 

Instead, she stayed where she was and called out to the limp form.

“Are you okay?” she called softly.

There was no response from Juxa. Losena frowned. 

“Are you okay?” she called again, louder.

Finally, Juxa’s small form started to stir. Losena’s body untensed. Why she had felt such fear for this small creature was unknown to her.

Juxa gave a low, pained groan, and she pushed herself to a sitting position, bracing herself with her right arm. Losena noticed that her left arm hung limply at her side. It looked different than her other arm, crooked into an unnatural position. 

Losena’s gaze was drawn upwards to Juxa’s face. Her eyes were strange, different from Mer eyes. Set against stark white, they were a deep, dark brown color that Losena found fascinating. However, they were different this time. While before, they had seemed bright and intent, now they had a strange glossiness to them, and they seemed wide and unfocused as Juxa stared at Losena.

Losena was surprised when Juxa suddenly broke into a wide smile, baring her teeth.

“It’s you,” she said, her voice hoarse and raspy. A strange sense of trepidation made its way into Losena’s mind. While she did not know much about two-legs, she still got the distinct feeling that Juxa was acting strange. 

“It’s me,” she said slowly, confirming Juxa’s observation. She hesitated for a moment, then started to drag herself closer to the beach. While it would be dangerous if she got stuck on land, she did not feel threatened by Juxa currently. She had a predator’s instincts, and she had learned to trust them over the years. 

“Are you alright?” she asked once more. Juxa blinked at her, her face blank. Then suddenly, she broke into a loud, raucous laughing fit. Losena flinched and paused her movement. She hadn’t been expecting that reaction. 

Juxa’s laughing continued, then suddenly cut off as it turned into an awful noise. She grabbed at her throat as the dry, hacking noise persisted to a point where Losena started to feel greatly worried. Then, she suddenly turned her head and spat something viscous and yellow-tinged onto the sand. She sputtered for a moment, then fell quiet. 

In the aftermath of her laughter, the silence seemed suffocating.

“No,” Juxa said weakly, turning back to face Losena, “I am not alright.” Her wide, square-set face was drawn wan and thin. She suddenly looked exhausted.

“What’s wrong?” Losena asked quietly, creeping closer. Now, her entire top part was on the beach, and only her long tail felt the gentle lapping of the water behind her. Juxa stared at her tail, seemingly mesmerized. 

“Juxa?” Losena prompted, startling Juxa out of her reverie. “What is wrong?”

Juxa gave another dry, humorless chuckle.

“Where to start?” she questioned. “I’m a dragonrider who has lost her dragon. My arm is broken, and I have no way to splint it. I cannot get any supplies because I can barely walk two steps before collapsing. My ribs are horribly bruised, if not also broken, and they hurt so badly I can barely breath. And I believe the hunger or thirst is beginning to cause me to lose my mind because I’ve started to imagine a strange fish-woman.”

She breathed deeply, apparently worn out after her tirade, and went silent. Losena mind worked furiously as she tried to grasp all of what Juxa had said. 

The first thing that jumped to the forefront of her mind was, “I am not a strange fish-woman. I am a Mer.” 

She felt embarrassed at herself because that had been the least important part of what Juxa had told her. However, the other woman merely nodded weakly.

“Of course,” Juxa said, her brown eyes developing a strange haze over them. “My mistake. Apologies.”

Losena shook her head and tried to focus their conversation again.

“You said you needed water. Why can’t you just drink the seawater?”

Juxa shook her head faintly. 

“I read once that seawater is poisonous” she explained, “but even so, I got so desperate yesterday that I tried to drink it anyway. My stomach has had an awful pain ever since then, and I keep vomiting.”

Her head started drifting to one side, and Losena saw her eyes start to drift close.

“It’s ironic,” she muttered, “because there’s nothing in my stomach to come up.”

Losena struggled to think of what to say, to find a way to help. How could a creature die from thirst while they were surrounded by water?

As she was puzzling over what to do, Juxa spoke up once more, her voice so weak that Losena almost missed it. 

“I am going to die here,” she said, her voice soft and sad. “I am going to die alone, without my family, without my dragon, without my home.”

Panic flared in Losena. 

“No!” she cried desperately. “No, that is not going to happen. I am going to help you.”

Once she said it, she knew it was true. For some reason, she was going to help this two-leg. 

If Juxa heard her, she made no response. Frustration built up in Losena. 

“Juxa!” she snapped angrily. Juxa’s eyes fluttered open and she looked at Losena with a furrowed expression. 

“What?” she asked, her voice concerningly soft. 

“I am going to help you,” Losena said again, her voice becoming gentle at Juxa’s confused expression. “But first I need you to help me. Tell me what you need.”

For a moment, Juxa stayed quiet. Losena suddenly had the horrifying thought that the two-leg was too far gone. Would she have to watch this strange creature suffer a horrible death with Losena as her only witness?

Then, Juxa spoke up. 

“Food,” she said softly, “so I may be able to think clearly. Some kind of rope or binding so I may splint my arm. Maybe…maybe something for the pain. Then I could think of a way to get water…”

Her voice trailed off into a weak mutter, then she stopped speaking altogether. Losena opened her mouth to prompt Juxa to speak again, but suddenly Juxa’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell backwards into the sand.


End file.
